Tala Alahmar, a student at the University of Michigan, has been named Student Representative to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) Board of Directors.
Alahmar graduated in spring 2021 with an associate degree from Oakland Community College (OCC) in Michigan. She is majoring in international studies and political science and working toward her goal of becoming an ambassador for the United Nations to advocate for childhood education in countries experiencing war and conflict. In April 2021 she was elected to serve as Phi Theta Kappa’s 2021-22 International President, the highest position of leadership available to students in the organization.
“We are pleased to welcome Tala to the Board, and we value the insight she will provide as we continue to deepen the value of Phi Theta Kappa membership across the nation and beyond,” said Dr. George Boggs, Chair of the PTK Board of Directors and President and CEO Emeritus of the American Association of Community Colleges.
An international student, Alahmar has given presentations on her home country of Syria to local middle school students, increasing their awareness of global education. She aims to work for an organization that represents minorities and advocates for global peace.
At OCC, Alahmar served in numerous leadership roles. She was president of both her PTK chapter and the PTK Michigan Region, served as an OCC student recruiter, and was named to the 2020 All-Michigan Academic Team. She received OCC’s 2019-2020 Outstanding Student Award, and she was recently awarded the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, worth up to $40,000 a year as she completes her bachelor’s degree.
“I joined PTK hoping to make friends and overcome my homesickness,” Alahmar said. “Little did I know that I would find a family within this organization and experience tremendous personal and professional growth. I’m so honored to be serving this organization that I love wholeheartedly.”
The Phi Theta Kappa Board of Directors governs all policies of PTK and ensures that the Society’s mission to nurture academic excellence among college students is reflected in all its programs and endeavors.
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more at ptk.org.
